RULEBOOK

Sample

file

Writer/Designer: Monte Cook Additional Designers: Bruce R. Cordell, Robert J. Schwalb, Shanna Germain Creative Director: Shanna Germain Editor/Proofreader: Ray Vallese Graphic Designer: Bear Weiter Cover Artist: Roberto Pitturru

ArtistsJacob Atienza, Marco Caradonna, Milivoj Ceran, chrom, Florian Devos, Dreamstime.com, Jason Engle, Erebus,

David Hueso, Baldi Konijn, Guido Kuip, Brandon Leach, Eric Lofgren, Patrick McEvoy, Jeremy McHugh, Brynn Metheney, Grzegorz Pedrycz, Mike Perry, John Petersen, Roberto Pitturru, Scott Purdy, Nick Russell,

Joe Slucher, Lee Smith, Matt Stawicki, Cyril Terpent, Cory Trego-Erdner, Tiffany Turrill, Shane Tyree, Chris Waller, Cathy Wilkins, Ben Wootten, Danar Worya, Kieran Yanner

Monte Cook Games Editorial BoardScott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates, Gareth Hodges, Mila Irek, Jeremy Land,

Laura Wilkinson, Marina Wold, George Ziets

CREDITS

© 2015 Monte Cook Games, LLC. CYPHER SYSTEM and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Printed in Canada

´

Sample

file

THE CYPHER SYSTEM Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 4Chapter 2: ANYTHING GOES 5Chapter 3: HOW TO PLAY THE CYPHER SYSTEM 7

PART 1: CHARACTERS 13Chapter 4: CREATING YOUR CHARACTER 14Chapter 5: CHARACTER TYPE 22Chapter 6: CHARACTER DESCRIPTOR 64Chapter 7: CHARACTER FOCUS 90Chapter 8: EQUIPMENT 182

PART 2: RULES 187Chapter 9: RULES OF THE GAME 188Chapter 10: OPTIONAL RULES 224

PART 3: GENRES 235Chapter 11: FANTASY 236Chapter 12: MODERN 244Chapter 13: SCIENCE FICTION 250Chapter 14: HORROR 258Chapter 15: SUPERHEROES 266

PART 4: GAMEMASTER SECTION 273Chapter 16: CREATURES 274 Chapter 17: NPCs 334Chapter 18: CYPHERS 340Chapter 19: RUNNING THE CYPHER SYSTEM 366

PART 5: BACK MATTER 409Index 410Campaign Design Worksheet 412Character Sheet 413

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sample

file

4

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A cypher is a secret. It’s something that not everyone understands. It holds potential. Promise.

The Cypher System Rulebook came about because we published a game called Numenera, and then another called The Strange. These were quite popular, both for their settings and for their rules. They shared the same basic game engine: the Cypher System. So it occurred to us, what if gamers want to use the system for fantasy, horror, or something else? Wouldn’t it be nice if they could have the system material from Numenera and The Strange with all the setting-specific material stripped out?

And doing that would be easy, right? We’d just need to grab stuff from both games, already finished, and cram it all into one book. No problem.

Of course, once I started working on it, I realized that the way both games handled character types was entirely idiosyncratic to those settings. You can’t take a Numenera nano and plop her down in any genre. And if you tried to make the type fit more into a fantasy setting, it wouldn’t fit into a science fiction one. Oh, and superheroes—those throw a big wrench into things.

In other words, while the Cypher System Rulebook is partially a compilation of game material from both Numenera and The Strange, it also has a whole lot of new stuff. New descriptors and foci to make different genres work, along with four new character types. New creatures and NPCs. New cyphers. Lots of new rules for handling everything from starship battles to the rising dread of horror. And rules for superheroes—characters who break all the other rules.

What you’ll take away from this book depends on your context.If you’re already a fan of both Numenera and The Strange, many

of the specifics here will be familiar. Still, you’ll find new descriptors, foci, types, creatures, cyphers, artifacts, and rules. Mostly, though,

you’ll see how to use the game system you already love in any setting and any genre. Use the material in this book to supplement your current games, or start a new game set in a fantasy land of elves and fae creatures, a science fiction setting spanning the galaxy, or a modern slasher horror game, different from anything you’ve played before.

If you’re a fan of Numenera or The Strange, but not both, you’ll find a ton of material here that is new to you. Again, this can supplement your existing game, or it can be used to stretch the system into any genre you wish when you’re finished with your current campaign.

If you’re new to the Cypher System entirely, you’re really in for a lot of great information and advice. The rules are simple, but this book includes plenty of character and setting options. It might seem overwhelming at first. But remember that in the Cypher System, the story is king, and thus you can’t really get the rules wrong. If it works for your game, then it works!

Fans of Numenera and The Strange should

check out the rules for Insights (page 216)

and the optional genre rules in addition to the descriptors, types, and

foci that are brand new to this book.

In the Cypher System, the story is king, and thus you can’t really get the rules wrong. If it works for your game, then it works!

Sample

file

Anything Goes

5

Chapter 2

ANYTHING GOES

These are broad categories, and I use them in this book as a starting point. Those categories are: fantasy, modern, science fiction, horror, and superheroes.

With those broad strokes, I cover most (but probably not all) of the kinds of games you can run with the Cypher System. Some of these genres require unique equipment, artifacts, or descriptors. Some need new rules to convey the experience you’re after.

I say “experience” because in many ways, that’s what a genre is. If you want to capture the experience of being terrified by zombies swarming around a character’s home, you want horror. If you want to convey the experience of being extremely powerful and using those powers to protect the world from aliens, you want superheroes (maybe with a dash of science fiction).

So really, what you’re choosing here is the experience you want to have—and that you want the players to have. This is such a fundamental decision that perhaps the whole group should be in on it. Ask the other players what genre they like and what kinds of experiences they want to have. This is vital because it ensures that everyone gets what they want out of the game.

Of course, not everything in this book is suitable for every genre. You, the GM, will need to read through it once you’ve chosen a genre and pick types, foci, and so forth.

For just a moment, I’m talking directly to the game masters out there. Both players and GMs will use this book, but

more than likely the GM will look at it first.What you hold in your hands is a

guidebook. A how-to. You can’t just sit down and start playing, because the Cypher System Rulebook is not meant to be used that way. You have to put something of your own into it first. There is no setting or world here. The system is designed to help you portray any world or setting you can dream up.

Think of this book as a chest of toys. You can pull out whatever you want and play with it however you want. You won’t use everything in it, at least not all at once. You’ll use parts of it to build the game you want to play. Pull out some pieces and give them a try. Put back the ones that don’t suit you, and try different ones. Use some now and save others for your next game. You have all the freedom in the world (many worlds, actually).

Speaking of worlds, you get to decide what setting to use, based on what genre you want. It can be anything. Pick your favorite book or movie, or just design something from scratch.

GENRESTake a look at Part 3: Genres, which has a number of chapters devoted to genres.

Genre categories are difficult. Sometimes they can be constricting when they should be liberating. Don’t worry too much about being a genre purist. Just have a fun game.

Part 3: Genres, page 235Sample

file

6

The more specific details you have about your setting, the easier this is to do, and the more distinct your setting is from genre tropes, the more you’ll have to do it. But that’s okay. Specific, distinct settings are usually the most fun, the most memorable, and the most likely to engage your players. They’re worth the extra work.

TAILORING THE RULESSometimes you have to alter things to make them into what you need and want. Take, for example, the magic flavor that you can give to any of the types in chapter 5. It’s called “magic” and has a lot of the trappings of magic, but it would be simple to change the name to “psionics,” “mutant powers,” or whatever your setting needs.

In other words, picking and choosing material from this book might not be enough. You might have to tweak things here and there. Fortunately, most of the material is made to be changed or manipulated. In fact, because the core mechanics of the Cypher System are so simple, tweaking things here and there is a breeze. This is not the kind of game where changing one thing creates a domino effect that has a lot of unintended consequences. In chapter 6, you’ll find guidelines for creating new descriptors. In chapter 7, you’ll find specific ideas for swapping out new foci abilities, which can help you create new ones if need be. And the character types in this book are designed to be tailored and reshaped.

When making alterations, worry less about game balance and more about telling the stories you want to tell and allowing the players to create and play the characters they want to play. If you successfully do both of those things, everyone will be happy. And that’s really what game balance is all about.

You can also look at Chapter 19: Running the Cypher System for further insights into changing the mechanics. But mostly, that chapter will tell you the same thing that you’re reading now: it’s your game to do with as you will.

You’ll find a lot of help throughout the book, and first and foremost is the Campaign Design Worksheet in part 5. Use it to let the players know what material you’ve chosen to be available so they can create characters that fit the genre.

SETTINGSWhile genres are useful categories to organize your thoughts, what you’re actually going to create is a setting. Labels like “science fiction” or “space opera” are fine, but in the end what is important is the specific setting that you create.

Your setting—whether it’s your original creation or adapted from something else—is yours to do with as you will. Don’t worry about what anyone else might think is appropriate for the genre. Once you start putting together the setting, you might want to go through the character creation material in the book again. Just because something is appropriate for the fantasy genre, it might not work for your fantasy setting. For example, you might have designed it such that fire magic is always evil and in the hands of demon-possessed priests, and thus Bears a Halo of Fire is not an appropriate focus for your PCs, even though it’s fine in other fantasy games.

Campaign Design Worksheet, page 412

Bears a Halo of Fire, page 98

Flavor, page 50

Chapter 5: Character Type, page 22

Chapter 6: Character Descriptor, page 64

Chapter 7: Character Focus, page 90

Chapter 19: Running the Cypher System, page 366

If you like the Cypher System but don’t want to

create your own setting, check out Numenera or

The Strange. Both games offer complete settings as well as the rules you need

to play. Neither requires any customization if you

don’t want to do that.

Sample

file

How to Play the Cypher System

7

Chapter 3

HOW TO PLAY THE CYPHER SYSTEM

or activity relating to a task, such as climbing, geography, or persuasiveness. A character who has a skill is better at completing related tasks than a character who lacks the skill. A character’s level of skill is either trained (reasonably skilled) or specialized (very skilled).

If you are trained in a skill relating to a task, you decrease the difficulty of that task by one step. If you are specialized, you decrease the difficulty by two steps. A skill can never decrease a task’s difficulty by more than two steps.

Anything else that reduces difficulty (help from an ally, a particular piece of equipment, or some other advantage) is referred to as an asset. Assets can never decrease a task’s difficulty by more than two steps.

You can also decrease the difficulty of a given task by applying Effort. (Effort is described in more detail in Chapter 9: Rules of the Game.)

To sum up, three things can decrease a task’s difficulty: skills, assets, and Effort.

If you can decrease a task’s difficulty to 0, you automatically succeed and don’t need to make a roll.

The rules of the Cypher System are quite straightforward at their heart, as all of gameplay is based around a few

core concepts.This chapter provides a brief explanation

of how to play the game, and it’s useful for learning the game. Once you understand the basic concepts, you’ll likely want to reference Chapter 9: Rules of the Game, for a more in-depth treatment.

The Cypher System uses a twenty-sided die (1d20) to determine the results of most actions. Whenever a roll of any kind is called for and no die is specified, roll a d20.

The game master sets a difficulty for any given task. There are ten degrees of difficulty. Thus, the difficulty of a task can be rated on a scale of 1 to 10.

Each difficulty has a target number associated with it. The target number is always three times the task’s difficulty, so a difficulty 4 task has a target number of 12. To succeed at the task, you must roll the target number or higher. See the Task Difficulty table (page 8) for guidance in how this works.

Character skills, favorable circumstances, or excellent equipment can decrease the difficulty of a task. For example, if a character is trained in climbing, she turns a difficulty 6 climb into a difficulty 5 climb. This is called decreasing the difficulty by one step. If she is specialized in climbing, she turns a difficulty 6 climb into a difficulty 4 climb. This is called decreasing the difficulty by two steps.

A skill is a category of knowledge, ability,

You don’t earn XP for killing foes or overcoming standard challenges in the course of play. Discovery is the soul of the Cypher System.

Difficulty, page 8

Effort, page 192

Skill, page 20

Decrease the difficulty, page 192

Chapter 9: Rules of the Game, page 188

Sample

file

8

that usually means rolling a 19 or 20; see Special Rolls on page 10 and in Chapter 9: Rules of the Game).

COMBATMaking an attack in combat works the same way as any other roll: the GM assigns a difficulty to the task, and you roll a d20 against the associated target number.

The difficulty of your attack roll depends on how powerful your opponent is. Just as tasks have a difficulty from 1 to 10, creatures have a level from 1 to 10. Most of the time, the difficulty of your attack roll is the same as the creature’s level. For example, if you attack a level 2 bandit, it’s a level 2 task, so your target number is 6.

It’s worth noting that players make all die rolls. If a character attacks a creature, the player makes an attack roll. If a creature attacks a character, the player makes a defense roll.

The damage dealt by an attack is not determined by a roll—it’s a flat number based on the weapon or attack used. For example, a spear always does 4 points of damage.

Your Armor characteristic reduces the damage you take from attacks directed at you. You get Armor from wearing physical armor (such as a leather jacket in a modern game or chainmail in a fantasy setting) or from special abilities. Like weapon damage, Armor is a flat number, not a roll. If you’re

WHEN DO YOU ROLL?Any time your character attempts a task, the GM assigns a difficulty to that task, and you roll a d20 against the associated target number.

When you jump from a burning vehicle, swing an axe at a mutant beast, swim across a raging river, identify a strange device, convince a merchant to give you a lower price, craft an object, use a power to control a foe’s mind, or use a blaster rifle to carve a hole in a wall, you make a d20 roll.

However, if you attempt something that has a difficulty of 0, no roll is needed—you automatically succeed. Many actions have a difficulty of 0. Examples include walking across the room and opening a door, using a special ability to negate gravity so you can fly, using an ability to protect your friend from radiation, or activating a device (that you already understand) to erect a force field. These are all routine actions and don’t require rolls.

Using skill, assets, and Effort, you can decrease the difficulty of potentially any task to 0 and thus negate the need for a roll. Walking across a narrow wooden beam is tricky for most people, but for an experienced gymnast, it’s routine. You can even decrease the difficulty of an attack on a foe to 0 and succeed without rolling.

If there’s no roll, there’s no chance for failure. However, there’s also no chance for remarkable success (in the Cypher System,

TASK DIFFICULTY Task Difficulty Description Target No. Guidance

0 Routine 0 Anyone can do this basically every time. 1 Simple 3 Most people can do this most of the time. 2 Standard 6 Typical task requiring focus, but most people can usually do this. 3 Demanding 9 Requires full attention; most people have a 50/50 chance to succeed. 4 Difficult 12 Trained people have a 50/50 chance to succeed. 5 Challenging 15 Even trained people often fail. 6 Intimidating 18 Normal people almost never succeed. 7 Formidable 21 Impossible without skills or great effort. 8 Heroic 24 A task worthy of tales told for years afterward. 9 Immortal 27 A task worthy of legends that last lifetimes. 10 Impossible 30 A task that normal humans couldn’t consider (but one that doesn’t break the laws of physics).

For some people, combat will be an important part

of the Cypher System. However, this is your

choice; a Cypher System game doesn’t have to be

about combat.

Armor, page 184Sample

file

How to Play the Cypher System

9

Medium weapons inflict 4 points of damage. Medium weapons include swords, battleaxes, maces, crossbows, spears, pistols, blasters, and so on. Most weapons are medium. Anything that could be used in one hand (even if it’s often used in two hands, such as a quarterstaff or spear) is a medium weapon.

Heavy weapons inflict 6 points of damage, and you must use two hands to attack with them. Heavy weapons are huge swords, great hammers, massive axes, halberds, heavy crossbows, blaster rifles, and so on. Anything that must be used in two hands is a heavy weapon.

BONUSESRarely, an ability or piece of equipment does not decrease a task’s difficulty but instead adds a bonus to the die roll. Bonuses always add together, so if you get a +1 bonus from two different sources, you have a +2 bonus. If you get enough bonuses to add up to a +3 bonus for a task, treat it as an asset: instead of adding the bonus to your roll, decrease the difficulty by one step. Therefore, you never add more than +1 or +2 to a die roll.

attacked, subtract your Armor from the damage you take. For example, a leather jacket gives you +1 to Armor, meaning that you take 1 less point of damage from attacks. If a mugger hits you with a knife for 2 points of damage while you’re wearing a leather jacket, you take only 1 point of damage. If your Armor reduces the damage from an attack to 0, you take no damage from that attack.

When you see the word “Armor” capitalized in the game rules (other than in the name of a special ability), it refers to your Armor characteristic—the number you subtract from incoming damage. When you see the word “armor” with a lowercase “a,” it refers to any physical armor you might wear.

Typical physical weapons come in three categories: light, medium and heavy.

Light weapons inflict only 2 points of damage, but they reduce the difficulty of the attack roll by one step because they are fast and easy to use. Light weapons are punches, kicks, clubs, knives, handaxes, rapiers, small pistols, and so on. Weapons that are particularly small are light weapons.

For more on the types of weapons that characters can use, see Chapter 8: Equipment.

Sample

file

10

him, or taking an extra action. Outside of combat, a major effect means that something beneficial happens based on the circumstance. For example, when climbing up a cliff wall, you make the ascent twice as fast. When a roll grants you a major effect, you can choose to use a minor effect instead if you prefer.

In combat (and only in combat), if you roll a natural 17 or 18 on your attack roll, you add 1 or 2 additional points of damage, respectively. Neither roll has any special effect options—just the extra damage.

Rolling a natural 1 is always bad. It means that the GM introduces a new complication into the encounter.

RANGE AND SPEEDDistance is simplified into three categories: immediate, short, and long.

Immediate distance from a character is within reach or within a few steps. If a character stands in a small room, everything in the room is within immediate distance. At most, immediate distance is 10 feet (3 m).

SPECIAL ROLLSWhen you roll a natural 19 (the d20 shows “19”) and the roll is a success, you also have a minor effect. In combat, a minor effect inflicts 3 additional points of damage with your attack, or, if you’d prefer a special result, you could decide instead that you knock the foe back, distract him, or something similar. When not in combat, a minor effect could mean that you perform the action with particular grace. For example, when jumping down from a ledge, you land smoothly on your feet, or when trying to persuade someone, you convince her that you’re smarter than you really are. In other words, you not only succeed but also go a bit further.

When you roll a natural 20 (the d20 shows “20”) and the roll is a success, you also have a major effect. This is similar to a minor effect, but the results are more remarkable. In combat, a major effect inflicts 4 additional points of damage with your attack, but again, you can choose instead to introduce a dramatic event such as knocking down your foe, stunning

For more information on special rolls and how they affect combat and

other interactions, see page 193.

Sample

file

How to Play the Cypher System

11

range. A bow has long range. An adept’s Onslaught ability also has short range.

A character can move an immediate distance as part of another action. In other words, he can take a few steps over to the control panel and activate a switch. He can lunge across a small room to attack a foe. He can open a door and step through.

A character can move a short distance as his entire action for a turn. He can also try to move a long distance as his entire action, but the player might have to roll to see if the character slips, trips, or stumbles as the result of moving so far so quickly.

For example, if the PCs are fighting a group of cultists, any character can likely attack any cultist in the general melee—they’re all within immediate range. Exact positions aren’t important. Creatures in a fight are always moving, shifting, and jostling, anyway. However, if one cultist stayed back to fire his pistol, a character

Short distance is anything greater than immediate distance but less than 50 feet (15 m) or so.

Long distance is anything greater than short distance but less than 100 feet (30 m) or so. Beyond that range, distances are always specified—500 feet (152 m), a mile (2 km), and so on.

The idea is that it’s not necessary to measure precise distances. Immediate distance is right there, practically next to the character. Short distance is nearby. Long distance is farther off.

All weapons and special abilities use these terms for ranges. For example, all melee weapons have immediate range—they are close-combat weapons, and you can use them to attack anyone within immediate distance. A thrown knife (and most other thrown weapons) has short

GLOSSARYGame Master (GM): The player who doesn’t run a character, but instead guides the flow of the story and runs all the NPCs.

Nonplayer Character (NPC): Characters run by the GM. Think of them as the minor characters in the story, or the villains or opponents. This includes any kind of creature as well as people.

Party: A group of player characters (and perhaps some NPC allies).

Player Character (PC): A character run by a player rather than the GM. Think of the PCs as the main characters in the story.

Player: The players who run characters in the game.

Session: A single play experience. Usually lasts a few hours. Sometimes one adventure can be accomplished in a session. More often, one adventure is multiple sessions.

Adventure: A single portion of the campaign with a beginning and an end. Usually defined at the beginning by a goal put forth by the PCs and at the end by whether or not they achieve that goal.

Campaign: A series of sessions strung together with an overarching story (or linked stories) with the same player characters. Often, but not always, a campaign involves a number of adventures.

Character: Anything that can act in the game. Although this includes PCs and human NPCs, it also technically includes creatures, aliens, mutants, automatons, animate plants, and so on. The word “creature” is usually synonymous.

Adept, page 29

Onslaught, page 31

Many rules in this system avoid the cumbersome need for precision. Does it really matter if the ghost is 13 feet away from you or 18? Probably not. That kind of needless specificity only slows things down and draws away from, rather than contributes to, the story.

Sample

file

12

challenges in the course of play. Discovery is the soul of the Cypher System.

Experience points are used primarily for character advancement (for details, see Chapter 4: Creating Your Character), but a player can also spend 1 XP to reroll any die roll and take the better of the two rolls.

CYPHERSCyphers are abilities that have a single use. A character can carry cyphers and use them during the game. The form they take depends on the setting. In a fantasy world they might be spells or potions, but in a science fiction game they could be alien crystals or just inspirations.

Characters will find new cyphers frequently in the course of play, so players shouldn’t hesitate to use their cypher abilities. Because cyphers are always different, the characters will always have new special powers to try.

OTHER DICEIn addition to a d20, you’ll need a d6 (a six-sided die). Rarely, you’ll need to roll a number between 1 and 100 (often called a d100 or d% roll), which you can do by rolling a d20 twice, using the last digit of the first roll as the “tens” place and the last digit of the second roll as the “ones” place. For example, rolling a 17 and a 9 gives you 79, rolling a 3 and an 18 gives you 38, and rolling a 20 and a 10 gives you 00 (also known as 100). If you have a d10 (a ten-sided die), you can use it instead of the d20 to roll numbers between 1 and 100.

might have to use her entire action to move the short distance required to attack that foe. It doesn’t matter if the cultist is 20 feet (6 m) or 40 feet (12 m) away—it’s simply considered short distance. It does matter if he’s more than 50 feet (15 m) away because that distance would require a long move.

EXPERIENCE POINTSExperience points (XP) are rewards given to players when the GM intrudes on the story (this is called GM intrusion) with a new and unexpected challenge. For example, in the middle of combat, the GM might inform the player that he drops his weapon. However, to intrude in this manner, the GM must award the player 2 XP. The rewarded player, in turn, must immediately give one of those XP to another player and justify the gift (perhaps the other player had a good idea, told a funny joke, performed an action that saved a life, and so on).

Alternatively, the player can refuse the GM intrusion. If he does so, he doesn’t get the 2 XP from the GM, and he must also spend 1 XP that he already has. If the player has no XP to spend, he can’t refuse the intrusion.

The GM can also give players XP between sessions as a reward for making discoveries during an adventure. Discoveries are interesting facts, wondrous secrets, powerful artifacts, answers to mysteries, or solutions to problems (such as where the kidnappers are keeping their victim or how the PCs repair the starship). You don’t earn XP for killing foes or overcoming standard

In the Cypher System, players make all die rolls. If a character attacks a creature, the player makes an attack roll. If a creature attacks a character, the player makes a defense roll.

Experience points, page 219

GM intrusion, page 193

Cypher, page 340

A d6 is used most often for recovery rolls

(page 202) and to determine the level of

cyphers (page 340).

Chapter 4: Creating Your Character, page 14

Sample

file

Chapter 4: CREATING YOUR CHARACTER 14Chapter 5: CHARACTER TYPE 22Chapter 6: CHARACTER DESCRIPTOR 64Chapter 7: CHARACTER FOCUS 90Chapter 8: EQUIPMENT 182

Part 1

CHARACTERS

Sample

file